This blog post is a follow up to my post last month titled, “How I Used an EASY Reward System with My Toddler that WORKED.”
To recap, in May I began implementing an easy reward system to help my toddler stay in bed, be quiet, and fall asleep by himself for naptime during the day.
Why did I need to add this reward system into our lives? Well, to be honest, mama needed her time back.
A few different things, including travel and getting off of our typical nap routine, caused naptime to be a bit hectic. My son was getting out of bed more, he was being loud while needing to fall asleep, I didn’t want him to wake little sister, and it was sometimes taking him 30 minutes to an hour to fall asleep. Plus, this mama ended up just laying with him on too many occasions to get him to fall asleep faster because I had things I needed to get done.
If that ain’t raw and honest mama truth I don’t know what is.
The reward system went like this: if he stayed in his bed, was quiet, and fell asleep by himself he earned his Paw Patrol Band-Aid when he woke up from nap. If he got out of his bed or was too loud, I would go back in his room, put him back to bed, remind him of the rules, and remind him of his reward. If I had to go into his room two times or less, he still earned his reward… progress not perfection. If I had to go into his room three times or more because he was being too loud or getting out of his bed too much, he would not earn his reward.
He earned his reward the first day and the next few days after that.
But I know you’re curious. Long-term. How is he doing now? Have we regressed? Or is the reward system still working?
It’s been over a month and my son has earned his reward EVERY DAY except one… and that was within the first full week of the system.
He is consistently going to sleep by himself. Most days I don’t have to go into his room at all. (Yay to having some extra time back!) If I do have to go into his room, it’s usually only one time.
And he almost always falls asleep immediately when put to bed. No jumping out of bed. No loud noises. Immediately asleep.
He is still earning a reward but that reward has now changed. He now earns a special snack after waking up. Maybe a popsicle or a few pieces of candy.
So, why am I sharing this success story with you?
Because of the ease that I am now experiencing that I didn’t even know I was missing.
When I put him to bed for nap, I no longer worry about how long it will take for him to fall asleep or how many times I have to pause my exercise video to go handle the situation or if he’s going to wake up baby sister. I lay him in bed and it’s done. It’s easy.
You see, there’s a routine, there’s structure, there’s an expectation that comes with using a reward system in this way, and it has made my mama life 100% easier and more enjoyable because I can take that hour and a half for myself and fuel my tank so I can love on my little people a bit more.
Now, let me directly ask you, in what area of your mama life could you use success like this?
Reward systems can work. They can be effective. They can be easy. And they can save your sanity.
I’ve now got one happy and restful toddler and one very happy mama.
